Electrically operated parking meter



Feb. 11, 1941. H. A. J. CASTOR ELECTRICALLY OPERATED PARKING METER Filed June 21, 1938 2 Shets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS Feb. 11, 1941- A CASTQR 2,231,563

ELECTRICALLY OPERATED PARKING METER Filed June 21, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fanny fl. cZO'astor INVEh'TOR ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 11, 1941 PATENT OFFICE 2,231,563 ELECTRICALLY oraaa'ran PARKING METER Henry A. J. Castor, Albany, N. Y.

Application June 21, 1938, Serial No. 214,991

1 Claim.

This invention relates to'electrically operated parking meters and has for an object to provide a parking meter particularly adapted for street use.

An object of the invention is to provide a parking meter of this type having novel coin controlled mechanism for starting the operation of the meter and for dumping the coin immediately after it has started the mechanism.

A further object is to provide a parking meter having a novel control disc which may be interchangeable with similar discs to limit the parking time to ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty minutes, or an hour.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which will be formed of a few strong simple and durable parts, which will be inexpensive to manufacture, and which will not easily get out of order. With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of constructionand combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to' within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a parking meter constructed in accordance with the invention, with parts broken away to expose the coin controlled timing disc and the mercury switch which takes up the load after the coin has performed its function as a circuit closer to start the mecha- IilSm.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the meter taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1 and showing the synchronous motor and control disc in end elevation.

Figure 3 is a detail end elevation of the control disc showing the rim having sections separated by spaces, and contacts in the coin receiving pocket of the disc.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the disc shown in Figure 1, broken away to expose the contacts in the coin receiving pocket.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail cross sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 4 showing the contact points and short arcuate contact strips on the insulating base plate.

Figure 6 is a front elevation of the control disc broken away to show the short arcuate contacts for initially closing the circuit through the me.- dium oi the coin and showing the mercury switch for maintaining the circuit closed after the coin has performed its function.

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view showing the electrical connections of the motor and signal devices, coin controlled switch and mercury switch.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, l0 designates the meter housing, the same being provided with louvers H in the wall to shade the alarm lamps l2 from sunlight, these lamps being mounted upon a shelf l3 in the meter, as shown in Figure 2, and being energized during the parking period. A coin chute It opens at the upper end through the meter housing as shown at l5 and at the bottom open end confronts a control disc IS.

The control disc is preferably formed of insulating material and is mounted upon a time controlled shaft I! which is operated through the medium of a synchronous motor l8 adapted to be connected to the city supply of current. The disc is rotated through one revolution per hour. The disc is provided on its front face with rim sections l9 regular in both outline and contour and separated by spaces 20, the sections being disposed concentric with the shaft l1 and forming a cam to operate a mercury switch, later described, for operating the device through a predetermined parking time period. The control disc it has four cut-out portions or recesses 20,- as shown in Figure l, between four rim sections I9 to control the device through a fifteen minute parking period. This, disc is interchangeable with other similar discs having rims formed of sections separated by spaces, as for example, a disc having a rim provided with six recesses and six rim sections will control the device through a ten minute parking period, three recesses and three rim sections through a twenty minute parking period, two recesses and two rim sections through a thirty minute parking period, and one recess and one rim section through a one hour parking period.

The control disc shown in Figure 1 is provided with four radially disposed pockets 2i, corresponding to the four recesses 20, and opening through the peripheral edge of the disc. These pockets are adapted to be turned successively into registration with the coin chute during rotation of the disc and each pocket is arranged at about the center of a respective section of the'rim between two of the recesses in the rim. A pair of switch contact pins 22 and 23, best shown in Figures 1, 3 and 5, extend transversely across each pocket and project through the rear side of the disc to engage respective arcuate fixed contacts 24 and 25, arranged concentrically with respect to the shaft 11, and mounted on and insulated from the housing It) through the medium of insulating base plates 26, as best shown in Figure 5.

When an operating coin 21 drops from the chute [4 into a pocket 2| it bridges the contact pins 22 and 23 and closes a circuit from the city supply current to the motor l8 and signal lamps E2. The motor then starts to rotate the disc and after a few minutes the contact pins are carried ofi of the stationary contacts 24 by rotation of the disc and open the motor circuit and the lamp circuit at this point. As the disc continues its rotation, due to closing of the circuit by a mercury switch presently described, the pocket 2| is brought into position to dump the coin into a suitable coin receptacle 28. The coin is electrically dead as the contact pins 22 and 23 ride off of the fixed contacts 24 and 25 and is operative only as an initial circuit closer.

Prior to the circuit being broken at the coin controlled contacts the load is taken up and the circuit maintained closed by a mercury switch 29. The mercury switch is mounted on the weighted end 30 of a lever 3| which is pivotally mounted on the meter'housing l through the medium of a pivot pin 32. The lever is disposed in the plane of the rim of the disc and is of sufficient length to project past the rim of the disc and enters the recesses 20. In normal position the lever engages a stop pin 33 projecting from the coin receptacle and the beveled end 34 of the lever is engaged in one of the recesses to hold the mercury switch 'tilted to open circuit position.

Immediately upon the operating coin 21 bridging the contact pins 22 and 23 to start the motor the disc begins to turn and the section of the rim against which the end of the lever is lodged rocks the lever to tilt the mercury switch to circuit closing position. The beveled end of the lever continues to ride on said section of the rim after it leaves the recess 20 and maintains the motor circuit and lamp circuit closed until the lever encounters the next succeeding recess. The beveled end then rides oil of the section quickly and drops into the recess to permit the weighted lever to rock back against the stop pin 33 and tilt the mercury switch to open circuit position ready for the next cycle.

A solenoid 35 is provided with a stop 36 which enters the coin chute Hi. When the motor circuit and lamp circuit is closed the solenoid is energized to maintain the coin or coins in the chute against dropping onto the disc. As soon as the disc has turned sufficiently to move the mercury switch to open circuit position the solenoid will be de-energized to withdraw the stop 36 and permit a coin to enter the pocket in the disc.

The wiring diagram is shown in Figure 7 in which it will be observed that an additional solenoid 48 is provided the same being adapted to move a pivoted target 49 into position behind a window 50 in the meter housing to provide an easily seen signal between the louvers II when the motor circuit is closed by the coin controlled circuit closer. The coin controlled switch designated by the numerals 24, 25 and 26, and the mercury switch 29 are connected together in parallel by conductor wires and 52 and are connected in the current supply circuit 53 and 54. The lamps I 2, both solenoids 35 and 48 and synchronous motor l8 are connected in parallel by circuit wires 55 and 56.

In operation the coin contacts with the pins 22 and 23 upon entrance to the pocket 2| and closes a circuit to start the motor and supply current to the various electrically operated devices above mentioned. Then after a suitable time, for example, 1 or 2 minutes, the coin becomes electrically dead since the contact strips on the base plates are relatively short. When the electrically dead coin is subsequently dumped there will be no electrical sparking that might otherwise occur were the coin dumped to break the circuit. Prior to the coin becoming electrically dead the load has been taken up by the mercury switch due to movement of a cam segment of the control disc rim tilting the mercury switch into circuit closing position to keep the motor and other apparatus energized until, after a complete revolution of the disc in the one hour parking meter, or until a fraction of a revolution in the interchangeable shorter parking time disc, the recess in the rim will arrive in registration with the free end of the lever to release the lever immediately which rises and rocks the mercury switch to circuit breaking position thereby stopping the motor and deenergizing the lights and solenoids.

Thus, if a vehicle is parked in the parking space indicated by the meter, and the lights are extinguished, the operator in charge, or a police officer, will know that the vehicle is overparking or illegally parking, but if the lights are burning he will know that the vehicle is legally parking within its allotted time period.

From the above description it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will be fully understood without further explanation.

What is claimed is:

In an electrically operated parking meter, a housing, a revoluble control disc in the housing having a rim formed of sections regular in both outline and contour separated by spaces, a coin chute carried by the housing having its discharge end confronting said rim, a coin pocket in the disc opening through the rim to receive coins from the chute, a pair of spaced insulated switch contacts in the pocket adapted to be bridged by a coin to coact with the coin in forming a circuit closer, a pair of arcuate insulated stationary switch contacts in the housing extending transversely across the pocket and with which the first named contacts have wiping engagement, said stationary switch contacts being arranged concentric with the axis of the disc, said coin pocket being adapted to deliver a coin from the disc after rotation of the disc has carried the disc switch contacts beyond the stationary switch contacts, a synchronous motor in the housing connected to the disc for rotating the disc, a circuit for the motor controlled by said circuit closer, a pivoted lever in the housing having one end adapted to ride on said rim sections and enter the spaces, a mercury switch on the lever connected in parallel in said circuit and held in open circuit position when the lever 's lodged in said spaces and adapted to be tilted by the lever to closed circuit position when the lever leaves the spaces and rides on the rim sections during rotation of the disc, the mercury switch being tilted to closed circuit position to take up the load just prior to the disc switch contacts moving on" of the stationary switch contacts to cause the coin to become dead as a cir cuit closer, and signal means connected in parallel with said circuit and adapted to be energized while the disc is being turned by the motor.

HENRY A. J. CASTOR. 

